Rope-tightener.



STATE PATENT @FFllF/Fi@ JOI-IN N. HOFFMAN, OF FOREST GROVE, OREGON'.

ROPE-TIGHTENER.

Application led March 22, 1917.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN N. HOFFMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Forest Grove, in the county of lVashington and State ofOregon, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rope-Tighteners; and l `do declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains'to make and use the same.

My invention relates to rope tighteners and more particularly to thatclass o f tighteners which are designed to tighten tent ropes and thelike.

The principal object of my invent-ion is to provide a tightener in whichthe rope is at all times disposed in the line of strain and whichthereby causes the strain to be distributed in such a manner along therope as to insure of its greatest holding power.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device of this characterin which the rope may be adjusted at one side of the tightener and insuch a manner that the rope will not be held in any sharp bends, therebyeliminating unnecessary wear and strain upon the rope and to this endthe invention resides in the novel construction of parts to behereinafter described and claimed, other objects of the inventionappearing in the description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings which form a part of this application and in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of my improved tightener;

Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section of the same, the rope beingshown in plan view;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view;

Fig. l is a transverse section on the line 4 4 of Fig. l;

Fig. 5 is a transverse section on the line 5-5 of Fig. l; and,

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the blank from which my tightener isconstructed.

Referring particularly to the drawing in which like reference numeralsindicate like parts, the numeral 1 designates my preferred form oftightener which is composed of a fiat rectangular metallic blank andwhich may be made of sheet steel7 brass, copper or any other suitablemetal and is provided with straight, longitudinal and end edges.Adjacent one end and disposed along the central longitudinal line of theSpecication of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov.. 27, 1191i?.

Serial No. 156,665.

blank is a longitudinally elongated aperture 2 being of a sui'licientwidth to receive a rope therethrough which is hereinafter to bedescribed. ln the construction of my tightener, the blank is bent alongits central longitudinal line in order to form a U- shaped member havingwalls 3 which are disposed with a suflicient width therebetween toaccommodate a rope therein. The walls 3 of the U-shaped member are bentinwardly toward each other until they will meet on the end of the blankadjacent the aperture 2 and are continued in this bent formation to apoint spaced Slightly from the edge of the aperture 2. These inwardlybent portions of the walls 3 are designated at 4l: and in their bentposition form a tube 5 at the end of the member. The other end of themember is formed in a similar manner, having the bent portions of thewalls extending inwardly to an equal distance with the walls of theother end.

This construction serves to provide tubes at each end of the tightenerand leaves a central open portion 6 for a purpose to be hereinafterdescribed. Through the tube formed on the end of the tightener adjacentthe aperture 9. is passed one end of a rope 7 which is bulged orprovided with a retaining ring in any suitable manner on its inner endto frictionally bind the rope in the tube and hold it secure to thetightening member at its end as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2. yllherope is then continued outwardly through the tube and looped around thepost or peg to which it is desired to fasten the rope after which it iscarried upwardly through the aperture 2 disposed in the bottom of thetightener into the open central portion 6. after which it is extendedthrough the tube 5 at the opposite end of the tightening member andcontinued to its point of connection with the tent or to the object towhich it is attached.

In the operation of my device, when it is desired to apply thetightener, the rope 7 is grasped by the operator in the open centralportion 6 and pulled through the tube at the end of the member farthestfrom the aperture 2 until the desired adjustment has been reached, afterwhich the rope is then pulled downwardly through the aperture in thebottom of the member so that it will be disposed longitudinally alongthe bottom of the central open portion 6 so that when strain is appliedto the ropeu the edge 8 of the elongated aperture will bite into therope and Cause the same to bind the tightening member. When it isdesired to loosen the same, it is merely necessary to force the ropeupwardly through the aperture in the bottom of the tightening member,after which it may be adjustedA through the cen'- tral open portion andthrough the tube at the other end of the tightener.

While I have shown in the accompanying drawing and specificallydescribed certain details of construction and materials which are usedin the manufacture of my tightener, I -desire it toV be understood thatI do not limit myself specifically to these and that any changes in thedetails of construction may be made which will be embodied in the scopeof the appended claim.

I claim f A device of the character described comprising a substantiallyfiat rectangular sheet metalv blank having straight edges bent receive arope therethrough, whereby the rope may be adjusted to loop form throughthe open portion between the aperture and one end of the member, theother end of said member being utilized to secure the end of the ropeand form a guide therefor.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

Y JOHN N. HOFFMAN. Witnesses:

M. S. ALLEN,

NETTIE HOFFMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissionei` of Patents, Washington', D. 0;

